‍June 27, 2024

Accessibility has indisputable qualitative advantages for businesses today. Ensuring that your products and services are accessible to everyone, not only promotes inclusivity but also enhances your brand's reputation and customer satisfaction. Our recently released ebook, which is available for free here, contains more information regarding the significance of accessibility in critical areas of your organization.

Can the impact of accessibility be quantified? Can businesses calculate the return on investment (RoI) from implementing accessible solutions? 

The answer is yes.

While the specifics of these calculations will vary depending on the organization, the key lies in understanding the unique impact areas relevant to your business. Typically, these will be a combination of several impact metrics. Let's explore some examples to illustrate this:

‍Example 1: Improving Customer Satisfaction through Accessible Service Desk Technology

Consider Company A, which aims to implement accessible service desk technology for their blind and low vision customers. The goal is to improve Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) levels. It's reasonable to assume that higher CSAT levels lead to better customer retention. By tracking CSAT scores before and after implementing the accessible technology, Company A can correlate improvements in satisfaction with increased customer retention rates. This, in turn, directly impacts sales and long-term revenue.

Revenue Change = Additional Customers retained (due to improved CSAT) x Avg. Contract Value ($) = CSAT change (%) x Current Retention (%) x Customers (#) x  Avg. Contract Value ($)

‍Example 2: Boosting Brand Impact with Accessible In-Store Services

Another example is a company looking to enhance its brand impact through new accessible in-store services for blind and low vision shoppers. One way to measure the effectiveness of these efforts is by monitoring website traffic volumes, which can indicate increased brand awareness and customer interest. If current traffic volumes lead to a certain number of new monthly customers, an increase in traffic post-implementation can be correlated with a rise in new customer acquisitions. This metric provides a clear link between accessibility improvements and incremental revenue growth.

Monthly Revenue Increase = Increased inbound interest (%) x Avg. Monthly Customers (#) x Avg. Purchase Value ($)

‍Key Metrics to Consider

• Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) and Net Promoter Scores (NPS): Higher satisfaction levels and positive customer feedback can lead to increased customer loyalty and retention.
• Website Traffic and Conversion Rates: An increase in website visits and higher conversion rates post-implementation can indicate successful brand impact and customer engagement.
• Sales and Revenue Growth: Directly correlating accessibility improvements with sales figures provides a tangible measure of RoI.
• Employee Engagement: Enhanced accessibility can improve employee satisfaction and productivity, indirectly contributing to business growth.

While the business case for accessibility is clear, quantifying its impact requires a strategic approach tailored to your organization's specific goals. By identifying and measuring relevant metrics such as CSAT, NPS, website traffic, and sales figures, businesses can effectively calculate the return on investment from accessibility initiatives. Embracing accessibility not only fosters inclusivity but also drives measurable business success.

If you are interested in learning more about how accessibility impacts key business performance indicators and how you can calculate its direct effect on key areas of your business, you can download our new free ebook here, where we take a deeper dive in all the crucial business performance areas that are strongly influenced by accessibility.